On January 5th we celebrate National Bird Day!
National Bird Day is an especially good day to celebrate our avian friends by learning about birds, bird watching, and doing our part to help conserve birds in the wild and their natural habitats.
Let’s take a quick venture into the world of Ornithology (the study of birds) by learning a few cool facts.
- There are more than 10,400 living species of birds.
- The major thing that distinguishes birds from all other animals is that they have feathers.
- The largest flying bird in terms of wingspan (length measured from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other) is the Wandering Albatross at 11.5 feet.
- Some birds are flightless and this means that they can grow much larger than other birds. The Ostrich is the largest living bird and can be up to 9 feet tall and weigh up to 330 pounds.
- Hummingbirds are some of the smallest living birds and the very smallest is the Cuban Bee Hummingbird which only grows to 2.5 inches long and only weighs about 0.1 ounce.
- Every state in the USA has a state bird. The state bird of Florida is the Northern Mockingbird.
Can't get enough of fancy flights and fabulous feathers? Check your local library branch for these birdie reads!
General Bird Facts:
Birds and Their Feathers by Britta Teckentrup (2018)
Birds by Pamela Hickman (2020)
How to Find a Bird by Jennifer Ward (2020)
Superlative Birds by Leslie Bulion (2019)
Owling: Enter the World of the Mysterious Birds of the Night by Mark Chester Wilson (2019)
The Atlas of Amazing Birds by Matt Sewell (2020)
The Kids' Guide to Birds of Florida: Fun Facts, Activities and 87 Cool Birds by Stan Tekiela (2019)
Ornithology & Conservation:
Bird's-Eye View: Keeping Wild Birds in Flight by Ann Eriksson (2020)
Condor Comeback by Sy Montgomery (2020)
Birdology: 30 Activities and Observations for Exploring the World of Birds by Monica Russo (2015)
Parrots Over Puerto Rico by Susan L. Roth (2013)
Look Up!: Bird-Watching in Your Own Backyard by Annette Cate (2013)
Birds of Prey Rescue: Changing the Future for Endangered Wildlife by Pamela Hickman (2006)
River Rescue by Jennifer Keats Curtis (2019)
Picture Books:
Ivy Bird by Tania Mccartney & Jess Racklyeft (2020)
Tiny Bird: A Hummingbird's Amazing Journey by Robert Burleigh & Wendell Minor (2020)
Ruby's Birds by Mya Thompson & Claudia Dávila (2019)
Knowing the Name of a Bird by Jane Yolen & Jori van der Linde (2020)
Bird Count by Susan Edwards Richmond & Stephanie Fizer Coleman (2019)
If I Were a Bird by Shelley Gill & Erik Brooks (2019)
All the Birds in the World by David Opie (2020)
Source: Encyclopedia Britannica